Retractable Deer Stand Ladder System

ABSTRACT

A retractable deer stand ladder system for providing a ladder that is efficiently concealed from wildlife. The retractable deer stand ladder system generally includes a support member having an elongated structure, an upper end and a lower end, a plurality of first steps pivotally attached to a first side of the support member, and a plurality of second steps pivotally attached to a second side of the support member. The first steps and the second steps each have an extended state where the steps extend outwardly from the support member for a user to climb upon. The first steps and the second steps also have a retracted state where the steps extend substantially parallel with respect to the support member for concealment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/671,428 filed on Mar. 27, 2015 which issues as U.S. Pat. No.9,635,849 on May 2, 2017 (Docket No. CONN-007). Each of theaforementioned patent applications, and any applications relatedthereto, is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety,

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a deer stand ladder and morespecifically it relates to a retractable deer stand ladder system forproviding a ladder that is efficiently concealed from wildlife.

Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

A conventional ladder stand is comprised of a ladder and a platform witha seat for a hunter. The ladder stand is typically attached to a treeusing a rope, chain, ratchet straps or cam buckle straps. The ladder fora ladder stand is comprised of a pair of ladder rails that are parallelto one another with a plurality of ladder rungs extending between theladder rails for a user to climb upon. The platform for the ladder standincludes a floor and side rails to prevent the user from falling off thestand. The platform further typically includes a seat for the user tosit upon.

Unfortunately, conventional ladder stands for hunting animals such asdeer are large and bulky. One problem with convention ladder stands isthey are easily identified by humans and animals. While conventionalladder stands attempt to conceal the ladder portion, the ladder standscommercially available utilize a static ladder that does not changeshape to blend in with the environment.

Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a needfor a new and improved retractable deer stand ladder system forproviding a ladder that is efficiently concealed from wildlife.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a deer stand ladder which includes asupport member having an elongated structure, an upper end and a lowerend, a plurality of first steps pivotally attached to a first side ofthe support member, and a plurality of second steps pivotally attachedto a second side of the support member. The first steps and the secondsteps each have an extended state where the steps extend outwardly fromthe support member for a user to climb upon. The first steps and thesecond steps also have a retracted state where the steps extendsubstantially parallel with respect to the support member forconcealment.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe invention in order that the detailed description thereof may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and that will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, beforeexplaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of thedescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the present invention with thesteps in the extended state.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the present invention with thesteps in the retracted state.

FIG. 3 is an exploded upper perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded right side view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded top view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the present invention in the extended state.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the present invention in the retracted statefor concealing the retractable ladder.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the retractable ladder with the steps inthe extended state.

FIG. 9 is a right side view of the retractable ladder with the steps inthe retracted state.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the retractable ladder with the steps in theextended state.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the retractable ladder with the steps in theextended state.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the retractable ladder with the steps in theretracted state.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the retractable ladder with the steps in theretracted state.

FIG. 14 is a right side cutaway view of the retractable ladder attachedto a tree providing access to a platform.

FIG. 15 is an upper perspective view of a first alternative embodimentfor the present invention using an upper handle and a lower handleconnected together via an auxiliary connector to manipulate the firstand second connectors with the handles in a first state with the stepslowered.

FIG. 16 is an upper perspective view of the first alternative embodimentwith the handles in a second state with the lower handle pulled inwardlywith the upper handle pulled upwardly and with the steps raised into theconcealed position.

FIG. 17 is an upper perspective view of the first alternative embodimentwith the handles in a third state with the lower handle pulled outwardlydrawing the upper handle and connectors downwardly with the steps in theraised position.

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is an upper perspective view of the present invention connectedto a tree by a support bracket surrounding the tree and an arm memberextending between the tree and the support member so the support memberis distally spaced outwardly away from the tree.

FIG. 21 is a side cutaway view of the present invention attached to atree with an arm member and a support bracket surrounding the tree withthe upper end of the support member attached to the platform.

FIG. 22 is a magnified cross sectional view of the upper end of a firstsupport member having a tapered structure that fits inside the loweropening within the lower end of a second support member allowingstacking of the support members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Overview

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 22 illustrate a retractable ladder 10, which comprises a supportmember 20 having an elongated structure, an upper end 22 and a lower end24, a plurality of first steps 40 pivotally attached to a first side ofthe support member 20, and a plurality of second steps 60 pivotallyattached to a second side of the support member 20. The first steps 40and the second steps 60 each have an extended state where the stepsextend outwardly from the support member 20 for a user to climb upon.The first steps 40 and the second steps 60 also have a retracted statewhere the steps extend substantially parallel with respect to thesupport member 20 for concealment.

The retractable ladder 10 may be utilized with various types of standssuch as, but not limited to, deer hunting stands, lock on stands, hangon stands, tree 14 mounted stands and the like. The retractable ladder10 is preferably utilized in combination with a platform 12 to form aladder stand for hunting. The platform 12 may have various structurescommonly used in ladder stands such as a floor, handles, a seat, railingand the like. The retractable ladder 10 may be utilized with variousother types of structures where providing access to an elevated locationand concealment are important. The combination of the support member 20,the plurality of first steps 40 and the plurality of second steps 60form a vertical compact structure when in the retracted state asillustrated in FIGS. 2, 7, 9, 12 and 13 of the drawings. The combinationof the support member 20, the plurality of first steps 40 and theplurality of second steps 60 do not form a vertical compact structurewhen in the extended state because of the steps 40, 60 extendingoutwardly from the support member 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6, 8, 10and 11 of the drawings.

B. Support Member

The support member 20 is comprised of an elongated structure thatextends in a substantially vertical manner. The support member 20 has anupper end 22 and a lower end 24 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of thedrawings. The support member 20 may have various lengths such as, butnot limited to, 6 feet, 10 feet and the like. The support member 20 mayalso have various widths and depths such as, but not limited to, 4inches or 6 inches.

A plurality of support members 20 may be stacked end to end to form anelongated vertical structure with the respective ends of the supportmembers 20 attached to one another. For example, the upper end 22 of afirst support member 20 may be attached to the lower end 24 of a secondsupport member 20, wherein the support members 20 are aligned with oneanother. The support members 20 may be attached to one another withconventional fasteners. The support member 20 preferably has arectangular cross sectional shape with four sides, wherein the firstside supporting the first steps 40 is parallel with respect to thesecond side supporting the second steps 60. The support member 20 may becomprised of various other cross sectional shapes such as but notlimited to circular, triangular and the like. The support member 20 ispreferably comprised of a tubular structure but may also be comprised ofa solid structure. The support member 20 is constructed of a rigidmaterial such as, but not limited to, metal or wood.

The support member 20 preferably includes a lower opening 26 in a lowerportion that receives a mounting fastener 28 that extends through thesupport member 20 into a tree 14 for securing the support member 20 tothe tree 14 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 14 of the drawings. Additionalopenings within the support member 20 may be used to receive additionalfasteners for attaching to a tree 14. In addition, additional supportbeams may be attached to the support member 20 that support the supportmember 20 at various heights that are secured to the tree 14 with aratchet strap or other securing device. The additional support beams mayhave the visual appearance of a branch.

C. Steps

A plurality of first steps 40 are pivotally attached to the first sideof the support member 20 and a plurality of second steps 60 arepivotally attached to a second side of the support member 20. The firstside of the support member 20 is preferably opposite of the second sidewhen the support member 20 has a rectangular cross sectional shape.However, the first side may be the same side as the second side (e.g.when the support member 20 has a circular cross sectional shape). Thesupport member 20 is centrally positioned between the plurality of firststeps 40 and the plurality of second steps 60 as illustrated in FIGS. 6and 7 of the drawings. The steps 40, 60 are constructed of a rigidmaterial such as, but not limited to, metal.

The first steps 40 and the second steps 60 include an extended state forallowing a user to climb upon the steps 40, 60 as illustrated in FIGS.1, 6, 8, 10 and 11 of the drawings. The first steps 40 extend away fromthe second steps 60 and the second steps 60 extend away from the firststeps 40 when the steps 40, 60 are in the extended state. It ispreferable that each first step 40 corresponds to and is aligned with asecond step 60 along a common horizontal plane as illustrated in FIG. 6of the drawings.

The first steps 40 and the second steps 60 also include a retractedstate to at least partially conceal the steps 40, 60 as illustrated inFIGS. 2, 7, 9, 12 and 13 of the drawings. In the retracted state, thesteps 40, 60 are substantially concealed from view by being positionedsubstantially parallel with respect to the support member 20. The steps40, 60 further extend upwardly when in the retracted state.

A plurality of first brackets 30 are attached to the first side of thesupport member 20. Each of the plurality of first steps 40 are pivotallyattached to a corresponding first bracket 30 of the plurality of firstbrackets 30. The first brackets 30 each have a horizontal portion thatextends outwardly and a pair of vertical portions extending upwardlyfrom the side portion of the horizontal portion. An aperture extendsthrough the vertical portions of the first bracket 30 to receive a pivotpin that extends through the aperture and through a correspondingaperture within an inner end of the first step 40 creating a pivot pointfor the first step 40. The horizontal portion extends outwardly from thepivot point thereby creating a stopper end portion that prevents thefirst step 40 from pivoting downwardly and further supporting the firststep 40 in a substantially horizontal position when in the extendedstate as best illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. The first step 40is free to pivot upwardly into the retracted state as illustrated inFIG. 7 of the drawings.

Similar to the first steps 40 and first brackets 30, a plurality ofsecond brackets 50 are attached to the second side of the support member20. Each of the plurality of second steps 60 are pivotally attached to acorresponding second bracket 50 of the plurality of second brackets 50.The second brackets 50 each have a horizontal portion that extendsoutwardly and a pair of vertical portions extending upwardly from theside portion of the horizontal portion. An aperture extends through thevertical portions of the second bracket 50 to receive a pivot pin thatextends through the aperture and through a corresponding aperture withinan inner end of the second step 60 creating a pivot point for the secondstep 60. The horizontal portion extends outwardly from the pivot pointthereby creating a stopper end portion that prevents the second step 60from pivoting downwardly and further supporting the second step 60 in asubstantially horizontal position when in the extended state as bestillustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. The second step 60 is free topivot upwardly into the retracted state as illustrated in FIG. 7 of thedrawings. The first steps 40 preferably each include a first camouflageportion 46 attached to a lower surface of the plurality of first steps40. The first camouflage portion 46 may be attached to the first step 40using an adhesive or other fastener. The first camouflage portion 46 hasa camouflage visual appearance to assist in concealing the first steps40 when in the retracted state as shown in FIG. 7. The first camouflageportion 46 may have the appearance of a portion of a tree 14 such asleaves, bark or other camouflage visual appearance.

Similar to the first steps 40, the second steps 60 preferably eachinclude a second camouflage portion 66 attached to a lower surface ofthe plurality of second steps 60. The second camouflage portion 66 maybe attached to the second step 60 using an adhesive or other fastener.The second camouflage portion 66 has a camouflage visual appearance toassist in concealing the second steps 60 when in the retracted state asshown in FIG. 7. The second camouflage portion 66 may have theappearance of a portion of a tree 14 such as leaves, bark or othercamouflage visual appearance.

D. Connectors

A first connector 42 having an elongated structure and a secondconnector 62 having an elongated structure are utilized to allow a useron the platform 12 raise the steps 40, 60 into the retracted state forconcealment of the steps 40, 60 or lower the steps into the extendedstate so the user can climb the steps 40, 60. The connectors 42, 62 maybe comprised of various types of elongated materials such as, but notlimited to, rope, string, cable, wire, chain, metal rod, plastic rod andthe like. The connectors 42, 62 may be comprised of a rigid material orflexible material. The length of the connectors 42, 62 is sufficient toconnect all of the steps 40, 60 and still extend upwardly from theuppermost of the steps 40, 60 as shown in FIG. 6. The steps 40, 60 arepreferably equidistantly attached along the length of the connectors 42,62 as illustrated in FIG. 6.

It is preferable that the upper end 22 of the first connector 42includes a first handle 44 and the upper end 22 of the second connector62 includes a second handle 64 for a user to grasp with their hands.While the embodiment illustrated utilizes manual force to lift and lowerthe steps 40, 60, a motor may also be connected to the connectors 42, 62to lift and lower the steps 40, 60.

The first connector 42 is attached to distal portions of the pluralityof first steps 40 and the second connector 62 is attached to distalportions of the plurality of second steps 60 as best illustrated in FIG.6 of the drawings. The first connector 42 and the second connector 62allow a user to pull upwardly upon the connectors thereby placing thesteps in the retracted state. Once the steps 40, 60 are pulled upwardlyinto the retracted state as shown in FIG. 7, the user then can attachthe connectors 42, 62 to a structure to prevent downward movement of thesteps 40, 60.

E. Covers.

A first cover 70 is preferably attached to the support member 20 toconceal the support member 20 and the brackets 30, 50. The first cover70 covers a front portion of the support member 20. The first cover 70includes a plurality of first slots 72 that receive the brackets 30, 50and a plurality of first mounting brackets 73 that are secured to thesupport member 20 with a corresponding number of first fasteners 74. Thefirst cover 70 is preferably an elongated structure approximately thesame length as the support member 20 and has a rounded outer surfacethat has a camouflage pattern (e.g. the appearance of a trunk of a tree14). The first cover 70 includes a first opening 76 that corresponds tothe lower opening 26 to allow the user to secure the mounting fastener28 into the tree 14.

A second cover 80 is preferably attached to the support member 20opposite of the first cover 70 to conceal the support member 20 and thebrackets 30, 50. The second cover 80 covers a rear portion of thesupport member 20 opposite of the first cover 70. Together, the firstcover 70 and the second cover 80 substantially surround the supportmember 20 and form a tubular structure having a shape and appearance ofthe trunk of a tree 14. The second cover 80 includes a plurality ofsecond slots 82 that receive the brackets 30, 50 and a plurality ofsecond mounting brackets 83 that are secured to the support member 20with a corresponding number of second fasteners 84. The second cover 80is preferably an elongated structure approximately the same length asthe support member 20 and has a rounded outer surface that has acamouflage pattern (e.g. the appearance of a trunk of a tree 14). Thesecond cover 80 also preferably includes a second opening 86 thatcorresponds to the first opening 76 and the lower opening 26 to receivethe mounting fastener 28.

F. Alternative Embodiments.

FIG. 15 is an upper perspective view of a first alternative embodimentfor the retractable ladder 10 using an upper handle 47 and a lowerhandle 49 connected together via an auxiliary connector 48 (e.g. rope,cable) to manipulate the first and second connectors 42, 62 with thehandles 47, 49 in a first state with the steps 40, 60 lowered. Theauxiliary connector 48 may be comprised of various types of elongatedflexible materials similar to the first and second connectors 42, 62.The upper handle 47 is connected to the first connector 42, theauxiliary connector 48 and the second connector 62 as illustrated inFIGS. 15, 16, 18 and 19 of the drawings. A lower pulley 41 is attachedto a lower portion of the interior of the support member 20 to guide theauxiliary connector 48 centrally through the support member 20 and outthrough the lower opening 26 within the support member 20 and throughthe first opening 76 in the first cover 70 as illustrated in FIG. 18 ofthe drawings.

The auxiliary connector 48 has a length sufficient to extend through theentire support member 20. If more than one support member 20 isinterconnected (as illustrated in FIG. 22), the length of the auxiliaryconnector 48 is sufficient to pass through all of the support members 20when stacked together in a vertical manner (e.g. if there are three fivefoot sections of support members 20, the length of the auxiliaryconnector 48 will be at least 15 feet or longer).

FIG. 22 shows one embodiment of the support members 20 beinginterconnected in a vertically stacked end-to-end manner. FIG. 22illustrates the upper end 22 of the lower support member 20 having anarrower size (e.g. tapered) compared to the lower opening of an uppersupport member 20 so that the upper end 22 of the lower support member20 fits into the lower opening of the upper support member 20 as shownin FIG. 22. It is further preferable that one or more nuts are secured(e.g. welded) to the interior surface of the upper end 22 of the supportmember 20 that receive corresponding threaded fasteners extendingthrough corresponding holes in the lower portion of the support member20 to secure the two adjacent support members 20 together in a straightvertical manner as illustrated in FIG. 22. Any number of support members20 may be stacked together to form a single vertical structure at adesired length such as 2, 3, 4, 5 or more support members 20. Thesupport members 20 each may have various lengths such as 5, 10, 15 feetfor each support member 20.

FIG. 16 is an upper perspective view of the first alternative embodimentwith the handles 47, 49 in a second state with the lower handle 49pulled inwardly with the upper handle 47 pulled upwardly and with thesteps 40, 60 raised into the concealed position. FIG. 17 is an upperperspective view of the first alternative embodiment with the handles47, 49 in a third state with the lower handle 49 pulled outwardlydrawing the upper handle 47 and connectors 42, 48, 62 downwardly withthe steps in the raised position.

When the lower handle 49 is pulled outwardly, a locking member 25 isattachable to the lower handle 49 to prevent the steps 40, 60 fromlowering as illustrated in FIG. 17 of the drawings. The lower handle 49preferably has a loop structure (e.g. a rectangular loop as shown inFIG. 17) to allow for the locking member 25 to pass through an openingwithin the lower handle 49 for securing the lower handle 49. The lockingmember 25 may be comprised of a flexible member (e.g. a strap) or anelongated rigid member. The locking member 25 is attached to an eyelet23 that is attached to the support member 20 as illustrated in FIG. 17.The opposite end of the locking member 25 has an eyelet or loop that canbe secured to the eyelet 23 with a lock 11 (e.g. a padlock) therebypreventing a third-party from accessing the deer stand when the owner isnot using the deer stand by keeping the steps 40, 60 in an uprightposition as shown in FIG. 17.

It is preferable to utilize a first pulley 43 and a second pulley 63connected to the upper portion of the support member 20 to movablysupport the corresponding connectors 42, 62. FIG. 20 is an upperperspective view of the present invention connected to a tree 14 by asupport bracket 16 surrounding the tree 14 and an arm member 17extending between the tree 14 and the support member 20 so the supportmember 20 is distally spaced outwardly away from the tree. The supportbracket 16 is comprised of a ring structure that surrounds the tree andis comprised of an adjustable length structure to attach about variousdiameters of trees 14. The arm member 17 may have various lengths toaccommodate various lengths of platforms 12 so the upper end 22 of thesupport member 20 may be attached to a distal portion of the platform 12(e.g. by fasteners) as illustrated in FIG. 21 of the drawings.

G. Operation of Preferred Embodiment

In use, the user identifies a location to attach the retractable ladder10 such as adjacent or near a tree 14. The user then secures themounting fastener 28 into the tree 14 as illustrated in FIG. 14 of thedrawings to secure the lower portion of the retractable ladder 10.Additional fasteners and/or brackets may be utilized to secure the upperand middle portions of the retractable ladder 10 to the tree 14. Oncethe retractable ladder 10 is attached, the platform 12 is then attachedto the tree 14 and/or the upper portion of the support member 20.

To climb up the retractable ladder 10, the user lowers all of the steps40, 60 so the steps 40, 60 are in the extended state as best illustratedin FIG. 6 of the drawings. The user then steps upon the steps 40, 60with their feet and grasps the steps 40, 60 with their hands to climbupwardly. Once the user has climbed upwardly and is positioned on theplatform 12, the user pulls upwardly upon the connectors 42, 62 toretract the steps 40, 60 into the retracted state thereby concealing thesteps 40, 60 and the retractable ladder 10 as best illustrated in FIG. 7of the drawings. The upper portions of the connectors 42, 62 may beattached to the platform 12 or other structure to prevent the steps 40,60 from accidentally lowering into the extended state. When the steps40, 60 are retracted into the retracted state, the steps 40, 60 aredifficult to view and appear to be part of the trunk of a tree 14thereby preventing viewing by humans and animals. When the user desiresto climb down from the platform 12 along the retractable ladder 10, theuser releases the connectors 42, 62 to allow the steps 40, 60 to extendoutwardly into the extended state as shown in FIG. 6. The user thenclimbs down the retractable ladder 10 using the steps 40, 60. The usermay remove the retractable ladder 10 and attach in a different locationat any time since the retractable ladder 10 is a lightweight andportable structure.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods andmaterials are described above. All publications, patent applications,patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law andregulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof,and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilizedwithin the description are for convenience only and have no legal orlimiting effect.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retractable ladder, comprising: a supportmember having an elongated structure, an upper end and a lower end; aplurality of first steps pivotally attached to a first side of thesupport member; a plurality of second steps pivotally attached to asecond side of the support member, wherein the first side of the supportmember is opposite of the second side; wherein the plurality of firststeps and the plurality of second steps include an extended state forallowing a user to climb upon the steps and a retracted state to atleast partially conceal the steps, wherein the plurality of first stepsextend away from the plurality of second steps and wherein the pluralityof second steps extend away from the plurality of first steps when inthe extended state; a plurality of first brackets attached to thesupport member, wherein each of the plurality of first steps arepivotally attached to a corresponding first bracket of the plurality offirst brackets, and a plurality of second brackets attached to thesupport member, wherein each of the plurality of second steps arepivotally attached to a corresponding second bracket of the plurality ofsecond brackets; wherein the support member, the plurality of firststeps and the plurality of second steps form a vertical compactstructure when in the retracted state; wherein the support member, theplurality of first steps and the plurality of second steps do not form avertical compact structure when in the extended state; and a firstconnector that is elongated and a second connector that is elongated,wherein the first connector is attached to distal portions of theplurality of first steps and wherein the second connector is attached todistal portions of the plurality of second steps, and wherein the firstconnector and the second connector allow a user to pull upwardly uponthe connectors thereby placing the steps in the retracted state; whereinthe first connector and the second connector are each comprised of arigid material; wherein the first connector extends upwardly above anuppermost step of the plurality of first steps a sufficient distance fora user to grasp the first connector to pull upwardly; wherein an upperportion of the first connector includes a first handle; wherein thesecond connector extends upwardly above an uppermost step of theplurality of second steps a sufficient distance for a user to grasp thesecond connector to pull upwardly; wherein an upper portion of thesecond connector includes a second handle.
 2. The retractable ladder ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of first brackets support the pluralityof first steps in a substantially horizontal position when in theextended state, and wherein the plurality of second brackets support theplurality of second steps in a substantially horizontal position when inthe extended state.
 3. The retractable ladder of claim 1, wherein thesupport member has a rectangular cross sectional shape, wherein thefirst side is parallel with respect to the second side.
 4. Theretractable ladder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first stepsinclude a corresponding plurality of first camouflage portions attachedto a lower surface of the plurality of first steps, and wherein theplurality of second steps include a corresponding plurality of secondcamouflage portions attached to a lower surface of the plurality ofsecond steps.
 5. A method of using the retractable ladder of claim 1,comprising a user pulling upwardly upon the first connector and thesecond connector to retract the first steps and the second steps intothe retracted state.
 6. A deer stand with retractable ladder,comprising: a deer stand; a support member having an elongatedstructure, an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end of thesupport member is adapted to be positioned near the deer stand; aplurality of first steps pivotally attached to a first side of thesupport member; a plurality of second steps pivotally attached to asecond side of the support member, wherein the first side of the supportmember is opposite of the second side; wherein the plurality of firststeps and the plurality of second steps include an extended state forallowing a user to climb upon the steps and a retracted state to atleast partially conceal the steps, wherein the plurality of first stepsextend away from the plurality of second steps and wherein the pluralityof second steps extend away from the plurality of first steps when inthe extended state; a plurality of first brackets attached to thesupport member, wherein each of the plurality of first steps arepivotally attached to a corresponding first bracket of the plurality offirst brackets, and a plurality of second brackets attached to thesupport member, wherein each of the plurality of second steps arepivotally attached to a corresponding second bracket of the plurality ofsecond brackets; wherein the support member, the plurality of firststeps and the plurality of second steps form a vertical compactstructure when in the retracted state; wherein the support member, theplurality of first steps and the plurality of second steps do not form avertical compact structure when in the extended state; and a firstconnector that is elongated and a second connector that is elongated,wherein the first connector is attached to distal portions of theplurality of first steps and wherein the second connector is attached todistal portions of the plurality of second steps, and wherein the firstconnector and the second connector allow a user to pull upwardly uponthe connectors thereby placing the steps in the retracted state; whereinthe first connector extends upwardly above an uppermost step of theplurality of first steps a sufficient distance for a user to grasp thefirst connector to pull upwardly; wherein an upper portion of the firstconnector includes a first handle; wherein the second connector extendsupwardly above an uppermost step of the plurality of second steps asufficient distance for a user to grasp the second connector to pullupwardly; wherein an upper portion of the second connector includes asecond handle.
 7. The deer stand with retractable ladder of claim 6,wherein the plurality of first brackets support the plurality of firststeps in a substantially horizontal position when in the extended state,and wherein the plurality of second brackets support the plurality ofsecond steps in a substantially horizontal position when in the extendedstate.
 8. The deer stand with retractable ladder of claim 6, wherein thesupport member has a rectangular cross sectional shape, wherein thefirst side is parallel with respect to the second side.
 9. The deerstand with retractable ladder of claim 6, wherein the plurality of firststeps include a corresponding plurality of first camouflage portionsattached to a lower surface of the plurality of first steps, and whereinthe plurality of second steps include a corresponding plurality ofsecond camouflage portions attached to a lower surface of the pluralityof second steps.
 10. A method of using the deer stand with retractableladder of claim 6, comprising a user pulling upwardly upon the firstconnector and the second connector to retract the first steps and thesecond steps into the retracted state.
 11. A deer stand with retractableladder, comprising: a deer stand attached to a tree; a support memberattached to the tree, wherein the support member is comprised of anelongated structure, an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper endof the support member is positioned near the deer stand; a plurality offirst steps pivotally attached to a first side of the support member; aplurality of second steps pivotally attached to a second side of thesupport member, wherein the first side of the support member is oppositeof the second side; wherein the plurality of first steps and theplurality of second steps include an extended state for allowing a userto climb upon the steps and a retracted state to at least partiallyconceal the steps, wherein the plurality of first steps extend away fromthe plurality of second steps and wherein the plurality of second stepsextend away from the plurality of first steps when in the extendedstate; wherein the support member, the plurality of first steps and theplurality of second steps form a vertical compact structure when in theretracted state; wherein the support member, the plurality of firststeps and the plurality of second steps do not form a vertical compactstructure when in the extended state; and a first connector that iselongated and a second connector that is elongated, wherein the firstconnector is attached to distal portions of the plurality of first stepsand wherein the second connector is attached to distal portions of theplurality of second steps, and wherein the first connector and thesecond connector allow a user to pull upwardly upon the connectorsthereby placing the steps in the retracted state; wherein the firstconnector extends upwardly above an uppermost step of the plurality offirst steps a sufficient distance for a user to grasp the firstconnector to pull upwardly; wherein an upper portion of the firstconnector includes a first handle; wherein the second connector extendsupwardly above an uppermost step of the plurality of second steps asufficient distance for a user to grasp the second connector to pullupwardly; wherein an upper portion of the second connector includes asecond handle.
 12. The deer stand with retractable ladder of claim 11,including a plurality of first brackets attached to the support member,wherein each of the plurality of first steps are pivotally attached to acorresponding first bracket of the plurality of first brackets, and aplurality of second brackets attached to the support member, whereineach of the plurality of second steps are pivotally attached to acorresponding second bracket of the plurality of second brackets. 13.The deer stand with retractable ladder of claim 12, wherein theplurality of first brackets support the plurality of first steps in asubstantially horizontal position when in the extended state, andwherein the plurality of second brackets support the plurality of secondsteps in a substantially horizontal position when in the extended state.14. The deer stand with retractable ladder of claim 11, wherein thesupport member has a rectangular cross sectional shape, wherein thefirst side is parallel with respect to the second side.
 15. The deerstand with retractable ladder of claim 11, wherein the plurality offirst steps include a corresponding plurality of first camouflageportions attached to a lower surface of the plurality of first steps,and wherein the plurality of second steps include a correspondingplurality of second camouflage portions attached to a lower surface ofthe plurality of second steps.
 16. A method of using the deer stand withretractable ladder of claim 11, comprising a user pulling upwardly uponthe first connector and the second connector to retract the first stepsand the second steps into the retracted state.